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You’re about to enter an art gallery of plants.
It includes a few of the world’s most famous paintings of plants. You’ll also see examples of how plants themselves can be artwork.
Famous Plant Paintings
Water Lilies
by Claude Monet
Sunflowers in a Vase
by Vincent van Gogh
◀ Ikebana, or Japanese flower arranging, began about 1,400 years ago. Today there are many styles of ikebana. Rikka, a traditional style, requires nine flower stems or parts of stems. These must be arranged in specific lengths, angles, and directions. Freestyle ikebana leaves everything up to the arranger, including what to express and how to express it. Even the use of paper, plastics, or metal in the arrangement is okay.
Bonsai is the art of growing miniature trees by carefully trimming roots and stems. Its name is a Japanese word that means “tray-planted.” Bonsai trees range in size from two inches to three feet. This art form started in China over 1,000 years ago. The gnarled trunks of the tiny trees gave rise to myths and legends about animals, dragons, and birds. In the twelfth century, bonsai migrated to Japan. There, it came to represent the harmony between people, the soul, and nature. ▶
Jimmy Gaeta is a floral designer and sculptor. He uses flowers to create art. “Flowers are my palette,” he says. “Just as oils or watercolors are a painter’s palette. When I make an arrangement, I respond to the color, shape, and texture of each bloom as well as to the environment the arrangement is meant for.” ▶
